


Resurrection

by Jb1667



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Bonding, Friendship, Gen, blood mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-25
Updated: 2018-06-26
Packaged: 2019-05-28 12:21:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15048917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jb1667/pseuds/Jb1667
Summary: A short story about the party finding out about Vincent's monsters.





	1. Resurrection

**Author's Note:**

> I love the Cloud/Yuffie/Vincent party, This story's mostly focused on them. The settings like when they've known Vincent for a little while but never had him in Cloud's party before  
> This is my first fanfic I've ever posted, hope you like it!

  
   Yuffie woke up, and rubbed the back of her neck, feeling sweat.   
   

    _It's kinda cold, maybe I had on too many blankets?_

   She removed her covers and moved to the edge of the bed. She thought about leaving the tent to go pee, but got a sudden cold feeling when she imagined traveling through the woods at night.

    _The woods don't scare me! I practically lived here not too long ago, and I'm even stronger now!_

   She forced her fears down and crawled towards the opening flap, silently making her way out, afraid to look ahead despite herself. She considered just going back in the tent and hiding under the covers until morning.   
 

  _Forget this! I can just hold it..._

   She heard a growl. She froze, except for the shaking of her limbs. She shut her eyes, too afraid to look. 

    _What the hell! It's nothing, stop psyching yourself out! You aren't even alone, Cloud and Vincent are here!_

   She opened her eyes, and saw something move between some trees to her left. She motioned to draw her shuriken, forgetting that it was still in her tent. Before she could properly panic, a monstrous blur came at her, she could barely process what was happening as she fell backwards onto the ground, and Cloud's sword cut the thing wide open. She tried to stand up, through the wild fears in her head and the thick metallic smell of blood, to see what it was that had almost attacked her. She stepped around Cloud and they both watched the blood pour from what seemed to be a behemoth, only not much bigger than a man. 

   "Weird... Is it a baby? Even behemoths have babies huh... I feel bad now. Thanks for saving me Cloud, I mighta got real hurt if you weren't there... I wasn't ready at all." She said slowly, coming down off the adrenaline rush of her near-death experience. 

   "I woke up with a strange feeling..." He said, unfocused. 

   "Me too! So I'm not weird... This thing has some serious bad vibes. I hope we don't run into its parents." She said, feeling guilty at the thought. 

   They stared at it, Yuffie's mind going over what had just happened. As she watched, an unnatural light, or darkness, Yuffie couldn't decide, flickered in front of her vision, growing steadily. She glanced at Cloud, who was watching as if in a trance, the strange light reflecting in his mako eyes. She realized it was definitely coming from the monster, and they simultaneously backed up, Cloud holding his arm in front of her in a protective way. The light grew to envelop the creature, and died down quickly. She tried to focus her eyes, but her brain did not want to register what she was seeing. It was Vincent, the new one, and it looked like the monster had killed him, somehow. She dropped to her knees and crawled to his side, putting her ear to his chest despite the copious amounts of blood. She couldn't hear anything, but stayed listening, as if she would hear his heart beat if she just gave him more time. Cloud watched her, wanting to pull her away, but too late to stop her from getting the gore all over her face, hands, and body. He felt his stomach turn thinking about it, and tried to focus on how he had been killed. He walked around, and knelt down on the other side. Just from looking, it seemed to be the same sort of injury the behemoth had died from. 

   "Yuffie, do you think that they were the same thing? Like when you get a frog spell cast on you, or something... Did I do this..?" He asked, his heart heavy. 

   "Cloud... Help him..." She said, still listening. 

   Her eyes were wide, and she didn't notice that she was crying. She felt numb, and cold, and her thoughts echoed in her head, strange unrelated words, fragments of sentences she must have heard at some time. Her breaths came raggedly, between choked sobs. Cloud reluctantly decided that he would have to use one of their phoenix downs, though it would surely be wasted. Yuffie would never forgive him later if he didn't try everything in his power now. He removed the feather from his bag carefully, tossing it into the air above Vincent. As it drifted back down, floating side to side, sparks of green healing light burst out in a ring around him. Normally, the phoenix's power latched on to those close to death, enfolding them in powerful light and bringing them back to health, but sensing no life in Vincent's body, the down's glow faded with nothing further than the initial sparks. Yuffie watched, knowing what it meant. She had seen it before, many years ago as a young child, in the war that had made her grow to hate the Shinra more than anything. 

   Cloud knelt down beside her. He wondered if it was possible that Vincent had been simply impersonating a human the whole time, and his true nature had been that beast that had attacked them. The theory fell flat however, when he considered that he had shifted back into a man before death. His first theory seemed more likely, it had been some spell or illusion making him seem to be a monster. 

    _But why would he have attacked us, then?_

   Vincent didn't seem to him to have any malicious intent towards them. He could be quite apathetic, in a way Cloud himself only pretended to be. When talking in private with him about Hojo, Cloud got the sense that he considered killing Hojo more of a responsibility he had to take than something he wanted to do for himself, not showing strong animosity towards even an enemy like Hojo. It was unlikely that Vincent would have gone through the trouble of acting all that time just to get a surprise shot at killing Yuffie and himself while they were camping for the night. The only thing he could conclude was that it was something that he had never heard of or encountered, and it almost definitely had something to do with Shinra, and probably Hojo, considering they had found him in the basement of Shinra Manor. He knew that Shinra's scientists had turned people into monsters, but as far as he knew they weren't able to simply turn back. No matter what the circumstances really were, however, or who was to blame, he knew the guilt he felt for what he had done would be staying with him. 

   Cloud broke from his thoughts when Yuffie sat up finally. She had a dull look in her eyes, and didn't look away from Vincent. 

   "We have to bury him now. It's sad, but there's no point in bringing him anywhere else, because nobody knew him and we don't know him well enough to know where he would wanna be buried." She said quietly. 

   "I won't tell anyone how he died, you can say it however you want." She continued.

   Cloud sighed, and stood up. He hadn't even considered that himself and his small group of friends were the only living people in this man's life at this point. Aeris had her mother, Barret had Marlene, Red had his grandfather, Yuffie, a small country. Himself and Tifa had each other, and their newer friends. Most likely everyone who Vincent had been close to were dead, or lost touch over the years he had spent sleeping in a basement. Regardless of how much Vincent was or wasn't to blame for that, it was a harsh fate. 

   "We don't even have anything to dig with..." Cloud said, truly not wanting to have to do what they were about to do. 

   Hearing a sudden rasping breath, he looked to Yuffie, figuring her to have started crying again. She stared back at him, confused. Slight movement in his peripheral vision caused him to look over and watch in horror as Vincent's eyes opened. He immediately grabbed up Yuffie, who had not noticed, and half-dragged her about six feet away. 

   "Hey! What are you doing, you're hurting my arm!" She yelled.

   "It's not over, something's wrong..." Cloud said.

   She stood up by herself, pushing him away, but he didn't look at her. She followed his eyes, but didn't understand what he was looking at. 

   "What, are you like, seeing things?! This isn't funny, Cloud, don't scare me right now." She said, a pained look on her face. 

   "Maybe I am seeing things, but I think... he's alive..." He said, his words sounding unreal to him as he spoke them out loud. 

   "Oh, he is?!" She said, turning to look.

   Cloud grabbed her wrist, trying to hold her back, and she twisted violently out of his grasp, leaping back to the ground where she had been, landing hard on her knees in the dirt. He hesitated to follow her, but relenting, he stepped over beside her, ready to pick her up and run again if he had to. Yuffie peered down at Vincent's face excitedly, her reason lost in the face of her great hope. Vincent opened his eyes again, and looked at her. Yuffie smiled, looking up at Cloud.

   "You were right! I don't know how, but he's ok!" She said.  
Cloud knelt down beside her. Over half her face was slick with blood, as were her arms, and hands. The front of her olive green turtleneck was soaked through, as well as her arm guard, and the metal shoulder and armbands were smeared with deep red. 

   "Yuffie... What's happened to you..." Vincent said weakly.

   He lifted his hand, whispering the chant to the cure spell. 

   "Woah, slow down." Cloud told him, reaching out to push his hand down. 

   "Yeah, I'm fine, you're the one who needs medical attention!" Yuffie said. 

   Vincent tried to look down at himself, and put his clawed hand on his chest where he felt pain. Cloud let go of his hand, and carefully pulled open his ripped shirt to see how bad his wound was. His face twisted in confusion, and Yuffie looked away before she could see anything, suddenly feeling squeamish. There was much blood, but the skin was unmarked. He withdrew his hand as Vincent feebly pushed it away, not comfortable being touched and looked at. 

   "You've healed already. I don't understand any of this, we need to talk later." Cloud said, his words sounded flat and hollow, not having any relation to what he felt. 

   "What? So he's really ok, he's not gonna die?!" Yuffie nearly screamed. 

   She turned back to Vincent, watching him once more. He stared straight ahead, through the trees and up into the moonless night sky. He remained uncomfortable with all the attention he was getting, though unable to move through the pain. Yuffie had not especially liked him, in the short time they had known each other, but found that she was ecstatic that he had lived. Feeling a sense of relief, tears began falling. She cried, burying her face in Cloud's violet knit top, her cheek and hair wet against his arm with blood and tears. He looked to Vincent, questions burdening his mind.


	2. Resurrection Ch. 2

  
   Cloud, Yuffie and Vincent sat on the forest floor around a small fire in the strong morning light. A breeze cooled them from the summer heat, making a gentle sound as it passed through the trees, light dancing down through the leaves. Yuffie was cooking breakfast. Despite not having much experience in the kitchen, she had become rather proficient at cooking outdoors from all her time spent in the woods, training and robbing travelers.

   They had made it through that night somehow. She had slept fitfully after what had happened, and Vincent was out like a light after the injuries he had sustained. She knew Cloud had been too nervous to sleep, though he told her that he had slept. She knew that look he got when he was up thinking for hours. When Vincent awoke, he was more silent than usual, and it surprised her that he never asked how or why he had been attacked. She decided it was more important than ever to remain upbeat and not press anything. If Cloud got any more nervous they were going to have to give him a tranquilizer. 

   Cloud had been trying to rehearse what he would be saying ever since Vincent woke up. He tried to gauge how much information he should give, or whether it would be better to just lie, or pretend nothing happened. He wanted answers, but if Vincent didn't know any more than he did, it would be useless, and if he were to lie, Cloud would lose trust in him. He was hoping Vincent would start the conversation, but he hadn't said a word. He had a somewhat vacant look, and that worried Cloud more. He wondered if maybe asking him those sorts of questions right off the bat would be bad for his health. 

   "Cloud, are you alright?" Vincent asked. 

   He hadn't noticed Vincent watching him, and the question hit him so hard that he wondered if maybe he was projecting, and he was the one who couldn't handle it. 

   "Yeah. ...Just thinking about what happened last night." He said, deciding to just be truthful. 

   Vincent looked sideways at Yuffie, who suddenly became flustered and almost dropped a fish on the ground. 

   "I've done something, is that it? You are both looking at me strangely..." He said, returning his intense gaze to Cloud. 

   "NO! It's totally fine, nothing weird happened!" Yuffie blurted out. 

   She raised her eyebrows, looking at the ground as if she would cry from embarrassment, biting her lip.

   He ignored her, looking to Cloud for answers. Cloud shifted uncomfortably. All the things he rehearsed didn't help now, his mind seemed to go blank. 

   "Well... I attacked you. You were a monster, and you were trying to kill Yuffie. After I hit you, you changed back. I had no idea it was you. I'm sure that you were dead... I'm sure of it. Then you woke up, and the wound was gone. That's it, I guess. I'm hoping you can tell us what's going on." Cloud said.

   He felt slightly relieved to have said it, until he looked up at Vincent. He looked distant, broken, as if he had been informed that a friend had died. He slowly stood up, and without saying a word, began to walk away. Yuffie stared wide-eyed at Cloud, mouth hanging open in disbelief. Of all the reactions he had imagined Vincent would have, this was the worst. As he stood up himself, Yuffie threw a rock and some dirt at him. 

   "Idiot! Can't you just go with me on this?! Why'd you have to say all that!" She yelled. 

   He looked at the ground, sighing. He felt that he wasn't in the wrong, but everyone else's reactions were telling him otherwise. He walked over to Vincent, standing a few feet away from him, and crossed his arms. 

   "I had thought _that_ was a nightmare, too... I'm a fool. I do not belong here. I am no longer human, and do not have a place in the waking world. I once knew this, however, in all the years, the truth and the nightmare have become one in my mind. ...No... It was simply wishful thinking..." Vincent said, his voice becoming quieter as he went on, as if he were only talking to himself. 

   "So you knew about it..." Cloud said.   
   

   They both stood, lost in thought, looking far away but seeing only with their mind's eye. Yuffie sat, chewing on her lip. The food was done, but she could only watch them. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but it didn't matter much anyway. She should have figured things would be tense, grouped up with those two. She wondered if Vincent would be leaving now. He seemed like the sort of person who didn't know how to deal with his problems. She would have been fine with it before, but now it just seemed like it would be a shame if he went back into that box. She braced herself, and quietly joined them. 

   "Um, the food's done..." She said, looking depressed. 

   Vincent looked at her with concern, and Cloud looked to him, waiting to see what he would do. Vincent nodded slightly, and returned to the fire. They followed him, sitting in a similar way as they did before. Cloud and Yuffie ate in silence, and Vincent kept the vacant look, refusing food.   
After they were done eating, Yuffie returned to her tent to get her weapons ready and materia arranged. Cloud stayed behind, knowing that their conversation wasn't over. 

   "I'm a danger to you, Cloud. Even if I can keep these beasts hidden most of the time, when I am weakened, they are out of my control. I have seen that you are more than capable on your own, and I can trust you to do what is right. I am ashamed that my mistakes have led to your needing to do this, to fight Sephiroth, the son of that woman... It seems I have not only failed the one I love, but the generations to come... And you, Cloud." Vincent said, looking to Cloud in every word. 

   Cloud found it hard to keep eye contact. He spoke so sincerely, it was difficult to argue with him, despite being so obviously misguided. 

   "So are you gonna leave?" He asked.

   Vincent remained silent, which Cloud took for an affirmative.

   "Hold on a minute... I'M a danger to me. And everyone else. Sephiroth... I'm not capable by myself. Not at all. Without my friends, I could have become just another pawn to him. Whatever you did or didn't do in the past, it doesn't matter. Sephiroth is trying to destroy the planet, that's just how it is. If you feel bad, then help us. We can use all the help we can get." Cloud said. 

   Vincent continued watching him, considering his words. Yuffie had been listening the whole time, and came out of her tent in full battle gear. She stopped by Vincent, bending down to look closely at him.

   "Blah blah blah, is Sephiroth all you guys ever talk about? You skipped over the interesting part. You turn into a powerful monster when you're weak, right?" Yuffie asked, peering at him sideways.

   Vincent appeared a bit taken aback, or at least nervous with Yuffie in his face. She crouched down by him, elbows on her knees. 

   "What's your limit break?" She asked.  
   

   "...Increased defense, and strength..." He began.

   "Are you kidding me? Don't mess around with me, how 'bout I punch you right now and we'll see how high your defense gets... Give me a break..." She said, punching the air. 

   "Hey, simmer down Yuffie... It's too early for this..." Cloud said.

   "Too early?! Geez, Cloud, why don't you just retire already and go live in Costa del Sol with the other people to old to function?! And YOU..." She said, pointing a finger directly in Vincent's face.

   "YOU have got a NEW limit break. When you take enough damage it should work, right? You could be powerful that way. It doesn't matter if you look ugly or anything, our job is to fight." She explained. 

   Vincent leaned back on his hands to get some distance between them. Cloud looked doubtful. 

   "I can't control myself when I change. I'm still myself in that form, but I lose all sense, and am therefore no different than any monster we may fight. It is not a limit break, it is a result of Hojo's tampering." Vincent explained as calmly as possible. 

   Yuffie stood up abruptly, huffing as she crossed her arms, then quickly put her hands on her hips, appearing to be thinking very hard, before crouching back down again.

   "How's this? I'm gonna do you a big favor and train with you. We'll see if it will be good in battle or not. Honestly, I actually wanna fight you at this point. You're always saying something dumb and acting like a baby." Yuffie said.

   Cloud covered his mouth, struggling not to laugh. He couldn't imagine saying that to someone like Vincent, and imagined Yuffie must have a death wish or be completely fearless. 

   "Don't laugh, lazy boy!" She said, standing up and pointing at Cloud.

   "Did you drink a whole pot of coffee while you were in your tent, Yuffie? It's usually you who complains first that you're too tired to keep going." Cloud replied.

   "If you can't make a good comeback then isn't it better if you just stay quiet?" She said, laughing.  
   

   Vincent blocked out their argument, but did put thought to what they had said. If Cloud needed him to fight, then that might be the best way for him to make up for his mistakes. And if it made him more powerful, it might be wise even do something that he hated. When he was really being honest with himself, he did enjoy their company, and the fight itself. For someone like himself to be useful, was more than he ever expected. And something bigger had been looming on his horizon, like the first bit of red from the sun rising. Lately he had been feeling like an entirely new life was ahead of him, different from the one that had ended long ago. If he could resist the urge to squash that great, fearful hope, he felt for the first time that if he could wait it out, he may live to see that sunrise, even brighter that the one that came before.


End file.
